Shelton, Connecticut
|settlement_type = City |image_flag = |image_seal = SheltonCTseal.jpg |image_skyline = |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_map = Shelton CT lg.PNG |mapsize = 250px |map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut |established_title = Incorporated (town) |established_date = 1789 |established_title2 = Incorporated (city) |established_date2 = 1915 |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = Fairfield |government_type = Mayor-board of aldermen |leader_title = Mayor |leader_name = Mark A. Lauretti |image_map1 = |coordinates_display = inline,title |coordinates_region = US-CT |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = United States |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = Connecticut |subdivision_type3 = NECTA |subdivision_name3 = Bridgeport-Stamford |subdivision_type4 = Region |subdivision_name4 = Housatonic Valley/Lower Naugatuck Valley |unit_pref =Imperial |area_total_km2 = 82.6 |area_land_km2 = 79.2 |area_water_km2 = 3.5 |area_total_sq_mi = 31.9 |population_as_of = 2010 |population_total = 39559 |population_density_km2 = auto |population_density_sq_mi = |timezone = Eastern |utc_offset = -5 |timezone_DST = Eastern |utc_offset_DST = -4 |area_land_sq_mi = 30.6 |area_water_sq_mi = 1.4 |elevation_m = 19 |elevation_ft = 62 |latd = 41 |latm = 18 |lats = 15 |latNS = N |longd = 73 |longm = 08 |longs = 17 |longEW = W |region = |postal_code_type = ZIP code |postal_code = 06484 |area_code = 203/475 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 09-68100 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 0210800 |footnotes = |website = City of Shelton Connecticut }} Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,559 at the 2010 census. History Origins Shelton was settled by the English as part of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639. On May 15, 1656, the Court of the Colony of Connecticut in Hartford affirmed that the town of Stratford included all of the territory inland from Long Island Sound, between the Housatonic River and the Fairfield town line. In 1662, Stratford selectmen Lt. Joseph Judson, Captain Joseph Hawley and John Minor had secured all the written deeds of transfer from the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation for this vast territory that comprises the present-day towns of Trumbull, Shelton and Monroe. Shelton was split off from Stratford in 1789, as Huntington (named for Samuel Huntington). The current name originated in a manufacturing village started in the 1860s named for the Shelton Company founded by Edward N. Shelton — also founder of Ousatonic Water Power Company. North of Derby-Shelton Bridge, Derby, New Haven County, CT |publisher=The Library of Congress |accessdate=February 7, 2008 }} The rapidly growing borough of Shelton incorporated as a city in 1915 and was consolidated with the town of Huntington in 1919 establishing the present city of Shelton. Decline of Shelton's industry Shelton was home to one of the largest arson fires in the United States history. It happened in 1975 when the Sponge Rubber Products plant (formerly owned by B.F. Goodrich) was set on fire. Charles Moeller, president of parent company Grand Sheet Metal Products, was acquitted on arson charges, but in a civil lawsuit, a jury in 1988 ruled the insurer did not have to pay claims on the fire because a preponderance of evidence showed the company's top officials arranged the fire to claim insurance money. Eight others were convicted or pleaded guilty.Greenwald, Judy. "Jury rules no cover for bombed building." Business Insurance, April 4, 1988. The explosion that destroyed the Sponge Rubber Plant on Canal Street in 1975 marked the start of the decline of Shelton's industries. During the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s several firms that operated factories along the banks of the Housatonic River either went out of business or relocated to areas where labor and operating costs were cheaper."IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN SHELTON".The New York Times. Accessed January 30, 2012. In 1995, Sikorsky Aircraft closed a plant off Bridgeport Avenue that manufactured electrical components for helicopters. Rise of Shelton's office space With the completion of Route 8, new office spaces and businesses were attracted to the town, due to its Fairfield County location couple with low costs of doing business as opposed to places such as Stamford or Greenwich. Major firms such as Tetley Tea, TIE Communication, I.T.T., Black and Decker, Sikorsky Aircraft, Chesebrough-Pond's, Tetra-Pak, General Electric, and Bunker Ramo. Over of corporate office space spread across 12 buildings was constructed by the R.D. Scinto corporation alone.Developer Robert D. Scinto pleads guilty in Shelton corruption probe (video, documents)- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut. Nhregister.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-16. Downtown revitalization Efforts are underway to restore nineteenth century industrial buildings in the downtown area; those that were beyond repair were demolished in the late 1990s and early 2000s and replaced with the Veteran's Memorial and a farmer's market. The Riverwalk Park next to the Veterans Memorial was created on the site of the former Sponge Rubber Plant. Other buildings along Howe Avenue, one of the city's main thoroughfares, have been restored, while developers have renovated two 19th century factory buildings on Bridge Street, converting them into luxury condominiums. Several downtown streets have been reconstructed as part of a streetscape improvement project: sidewalks were reconstructed with brick and cobblestone, trees were planted, and some power lines were rerouted underground to improve the appearance of Shelton's central business district. In March 2008, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that after negotiations with State Senator Dan Debicella and State Representative Jason Perillo, state bond funds in the amount of $2 million would be directed toward additional infrastructure improvements leading to over $100 million in private investment in the city's downtown. Other events On June 14, 1978, Bob Marley & The Wailers played at the Pinecrest Country Club in the city as part of the group's Kaya Tour. In November 2007, a tree located on Soundview Avenue in Shelton was picked to be the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. On May 30, 2008, producers and staff for the upcoming movie All Good Things shot one scene on Canal St. in downtown Shelton. The scene was underneath the train trestle and involved one of the characters dragging a body and dumping it into the Housatonic River. On July 31, 2009, a line of heavy thunderstorms with weak rotation spawned an EF1 tornado, which touched down with wind speeds between 95 and 105 miles per hour. According to WTNH, the most concentrated damage was along the Oronoque Trail, where many trees were blown down. There were no injuries or fatalities. Shelton tornado clean up continues | wtnh.com Connecticut. WTNH. Retrieved on 2013-08-16. In November 2013, a tree located on Kazo Drive was picked to be the second Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from Shelton. Shelton spruce to grace Rockefeller Center Connecticut Post. ctpost.com. November 8, 2013. Retrieved on November 12, 2013. Geography ]] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.26%, is water. Neighborhoods *Downtown *White Hills (Leavenworth Road) *Soundview Avenue *South End *Booth Hill Road *Bridgeport Avenue *Huntington *Pine Rock Park Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 38,101 people, 14,190 households, and 10,543 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.4 people per square mile (481.2/km²). There were 14,707 housing units at an average density of 481.1 per square mile (185.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.44% White, 1.12% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.89% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.48% of the population. There were 14,190 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $67,292, and the median income for a family was $75,523 (these figures had risen to $80,694 and $94,485 respectively as of a 2007 estimateAmerican FactFinder. Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2013-08-16.). Males had a median income of $50,210 versus $36,815 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,893. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over. Politics Mark Lauretti ® has served as mayor since taking office in 1991. The Republican Party has controlled the city government since the 1980s. Before the 2007 Elections, the Board of Aldermen consisted of 5 Republican members, 2 Citizens' United members and one Democratic member.Shelton Board of Aldermen Mayor Lauretti was re-elected for a tenth term on November 3, 2009. The current Board of Aldermen consists of 7 Republicans and one Democrat.For Lauretti, a sweet ride to 9th term, Connecticut Post November 7, 2007 Political affiliations in Shelton have developed predominantly along demographic lines, with both representatives from the 2nd Ward (Eric McPherson and Stanley Kudej), 3rd Ward (John Anglace and Lynn Farrell) and 4th Ward (John Papa and Noreen McGorty) being Republicans. The more affluent 1st Ward is represented by Jack Finn, the lone Democrat on the Board, and Republican Anthony Simonetti. Anglace (R-3) is the Board's President. Papa (R-4) is its vice-president. In recent elections, the 2nd and 4th Wards have remained consistently Republican, while representation from the 1st and 3rd Wards has swung between Republicans, Democrats, and the Citizens' United Party, which often has aligned with Democrats on major issues. Political representation at the state level has been Republican since the 1960s. In 2006, State Senator Dan Debicella took over from George "Doc" Gunther, who had represented the town for forty years. In 2007, State Representative Jason Perillo took office after winning a special election held following the death of Richard O. Belden, who had represented the town for 32 years. State Representative Larry Miller has also represented the town since 1991. All these current and former legislators are Republicans. At the federal level, Shelton is represented by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman. Representation of Shelton in the House of Representatives is split between the 3rd and 4th Congressional districts, which are represented by Democratic Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Jim Himes, respectively. The boundary between the two congressional districts lies roughly along Route 8; the portion of the city to the north and west of Route 8 are represented by Congressman Himes, while Representative DeLauro represents sections of Shelton to the south and east. Shelton has favored Republicans in recent local, state and federal elections. Shelton voters favored John McCain (51%) over Barack Obama (47%) during the 2008 presidential elections.2008 Presidential Election Results by Town, Connecticut Secretary of the State, Accessed 23 Dec 10 City voters also favored George W. Bush (56%) over John Kerry (41%) in 2004,2004 Election Results, Connecticut Secretary of the State and George W. Bush (48%) over Al Gore (46%) in 2000.2000 Election Results, Connecticut Secretary of the State Shelton voters also overwhelmingly favored Republican M. Jodi Rell (74%) over Democrat John DeStefano (24%) during the 2006 gubernatorial election.2006 Election Results, Connecticut Secretary of the State, Accessed 23 Dec 10 Sheriff Shelton is currently one of the few municipalities in Connecticut with its own Sheriff's Department, the Shelton Sheriff's Department, whose main task is the due process within the city lines and to execute judicial warrants within the city, much like the Fairfield County Sheriff's Department did before its abolishment in December 2000. Conservation The City of Shelton's goal is to preserve at least 15% of the land as permanently protected, locally controlled open space in the following three forms: City of Shelton Public Open Space properties, Privately owned farmland protected by the purchase of development rights, and properties held by the non-profit Shelton Land Conservation Trust. As of 2009, these forms of open space amount to 13% of the City and more than . The City of Shelton owns close to of Public Open Space, Protected Farmland is , and the Shelton Land Trust organization has preserved . There are over of hiking trails in Shelton, including a portion of the Paugussett "Blue Blazed" trail, part of a network of hiking trails throughout the state. There is opportunity for fishing, boating, geocaching and letterboxing, hiking, walking and biking. Dogs are welcomed when on leash. There is no hunting on City owned Open Space by Ordinance. The City of Shelton's conservation efforts are served by a city agency in form of the Conservation Commission. The current Chairman is Thomas Harbinson. Further information is maintained at the Commission's official City of Shelton webpages: www.sheltonconservation.org Education Shelton Public Schools include Shelton High School for grades 9 through 12, Shelton Intermediate School for grades 7 and 8. Perry Hill School for grades 5 and 6, and five primary schools for kindergarten through fourth grade. Fire Department The city of Shelton is protected 24/7, 365 by the 267 volunteer firefighters of the city of Shelton Fire Department(SFD). The SFD consists of four all-volunteer fire companies (Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Co. # 1, Huntington Fire Co. # 3, Pine Rock Park Fire Co. # 4, White Hills Fire Co. # 5) operating out of 4 Fire Stations, located throughout the city. Each all-volunteer fire company is headed by an Assistant Chief, who is the company's liaison to the Deputy Chief and Chief's Office. Each fire company is commanded by a Captain and 2 Lieutenants. Fran Jones III is currently the Chief of Department. There is also a board of fire commissioners with a representative from each company. Fire Headquarters is located at Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Co. 1 on Coram Ave.Fire Department. cityofshelton.org. Retrieved on 2013-08-16. Fire station locations and apparatus Recreation There are two private golf courses in town. Highland Golf Club of Shelton is located in the downtown Shelton area where it was founded in 1900, only 6 years after the USGA was organized. It is a 9-hole course (with 10 greens to allow alternating #2 and #11 where the tee shot goes over Perry Hill Road) in which an unknown original designer created difficult greens. The clubhouse's 1920s era structure still remains as the core to the current structure. Brownson Country Club is an 18-hole venue located in the Huntington section of Shelton. There is an annual competition between the clubs for the "Mayor's Trophy", alternating the venue each year. The 2009 Champion and holder of the Trophy is Highland. Prominent companies *Perkin-Elmer houses their Life and Analytical sciences division on Bridgeport Avenue. Perkin-Elmer is best known for building the optical components of the Hubble Space Telescope. *Shelton is home to Wiffle Ball, Inc., manufacturers of the original Wiffle Ball *Home to Swiss Army Brands U.S. regional office, with about 175 employees;"State to aid Shelton firm's move," by Maya Rao, The Hartford Courant, June 15, 2006; Rao cites James Ryan, head of the Shelton Economic Development Commission. is planning a move to Monroe *Prudential Annuities headquarters *TranSwitch Corp. headquarters, 3 Enterprise Drive *Pitney Bowes employs 1,460 in the city *Computershare (formerly Transcentive, Inc.), 2 Enterprise Drive *NEC Unified Solutions (formerly Nitsuko America), manufacturer of business telephone systems, 4 Forest Parkway *Panolam is headquartered in Shelton *Cartier SA has an office in Shelton *Tetley USA is headquartered in Shelton *BIC Corporation conducts U.S. operations from Shelton *Baldwin Technology is headquartered in Shelton *Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation has an Overhaul and Repair (O&R) facility in Shelton *Digatron Firing Circuits, Inc. is a manufacturer of battery test and formation equipment in Shelton *Precision Resource in headquartered in Shelton, 25 Forest Parkway Notable people * Helen Barnes Ziegfeld Follies Girl * Peter Leo Gerety, Roman Catholic bishop * Doug Henry, Motocross Hall of Famer * Isaac Hull (1773–1843), Commodore in the U.S. Navy; commanded among other ships * Dan Orlovsky, backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, grew up in Shelton * Faisal Shahzad, suspect responsible for the 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt On the National Register of Historic Places * Commodore Hull School — 130 Oak Ave. (added July 30, 1983) * Huntington Center Historic District — Roughly along Church and Huntington Sts., from Ripton Rd. to the Farmill River (added April, 2000) * Plumb Memorial Library — 47 Wooster St. (added December 7, 1978) Media The Valley Independent Sentinel, an online-only, non-profit news site, launched in June 2009, thanks to the efforts of The Valley Community Foundation and The Knight Foundation. Shelton also has a weekly newspaper, The Herald. The Connecticut Post and The New Haven Register also cover the city. Both are daily papers. References Further reading *Reverend Samuel Orcutt, History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport Connecticut, Fairfield County Historical Society, 1886 External links *City of Shelton official website Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more *Shelton Historical Society *Plumb Memorial Library *Derby Historical Society; the society was "Founded April 18, 1946, to serve the Naugatuck Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, & Shelton." *City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Shelton Category:Shelton, Connecticut Category:Cities in Connecticut Category:Naugatuck River Valley Category:Settlements established in 1789 Category:Cities in the New York metropolitan area Category:Cities in Fairfield County, Connecticut